The Purr
by AliciaRoseFantasy
Summary: 5 times Spidey purred and New York's reaction to it. Spidey/NYC
1. The Purr

**Hey guys, new Spidey story! I hope you enjoy :)**

 **Inspired by the wolf spider's ability to purr using vibrations.**

 **Disclaimer: I own diddly nil.**

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Spidey landed on the ground and collapsed to one knee. His red and blue clad chest heaved with each breath, his head bowed to the concrete. Putting out a gloved hand to steady himself, he looked up, wide lenses taking in the scene. The street was a mess. Cars lay broken and scattered about, street lamps bent, building walls shattered, covering the asphalt with debris. In the centre of all this, wrapped in many thick layers of webbing, was the perpetrator. He wiggled and cursed, spitting out metaphorical venom from behind his gagged mouth.

He'd tried to be as fast as he could: get to the scene in a speedy manner, apprehend the criminal, stop the destruction. But he hadn't. He'd been just that little bit too slow, and the villain that little bit too smart and quick—cleverly evading his attacks.

He looked further down the street to where once beautiful flower petals lay wilted and scattered about, and a small store on the corner sat smashed in—the front window shattered and internal contents destroyed. Above it, a sign was left, hanging on from one hinge. It read "Myrtle's flowers". It was family run, he knew. Aunt May goes there every week to buy flowers for Uncle Ben's grave.

Beside him, his fingers clenched into a fist.

He ignored the many stinging cuts scattered over his body as he got to his feet, bruises aching with the movement. Small bits of glass and plaster fell away from his form.

Silence reigned over the atmosphere, many bystanders hanging back out of the line of destruction in shock, before one middle-aged man walked forward. He moved passed the broken cars and the mass of webs containing the criminal, and stopped before the small store. There, he fell to his knees.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, staring at the destruction, and tears began flowing down his face.

Spidey looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat. Because of this, he was surprised when a hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"Hey, Spidey. It's alright. I just wanted to say thank you. It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't intervened. We all saw what you did, how much effort you put into stopping him. We appreciate it."

Spidey tucked his chin towards his chest. "It wasn't enough, though."

"No. But you tried, and that's all that matters." He gave his shoulder a firm shake.

Spidey didn't say any more for a while, gazing over the mess that was once a bustling New York street, nothing but breathing and the distant cursing of the villain filling the silence. So it's safe to say he was surprised a second time when a strong but gentle set of arms encompassed his form. His head snapped up, and his eyes widened beneath the mask, before he realised...the man was _hugging_ him.

The spider-themed hero stood frozen in the middle of the street, back tense, for several seconds, before he began to relax.

He slumped in the man's grip, all the troubles magically floating away off his mind, as his back was gently kneaded. He felt his muscles relaxing, the tension draining, before he noticed something else. A strange vibrating sound was beginning to fill the air. His head perked up curiously to listen.

The hand on his back stopped momentarily, before continuing to rub soothing circles into his skin.

The vibrating sound was getting louder. It reminded him more of a purr now, although a rather unusual one. He really hoped there were no cat themed villains around…

The hand moved to the back of his neck and he melted, leaning into the touch. The buzzing vibration reached a fever pitch, before shutting off abruptly.

Spidey had gone stock still, his head perked upright in alarm. A soft chuckle sounded next to his ear, before the arms fell away.

"You've got a few cuts there. I've a first aid kit in my car. Be right back."

Spidey opened his mouth and closed it as the man walked away, before turning around.

The civilians were still quiet, but for a different reason now. They all had looks of disbelief, awe and shock on their faces, but instead of at the ruined street, they were all directed at _him_.

 _He'd_ been the one making that noise. He'd been _purring_!

He looked down at his spandex-clad arms, and thought of the tiny electromagnetic hairs covering his body. Had _they_ done that somehow?

His head snapped back up at the sound of clanking. The man was emerging from one of the crushed vehicles thrown into a wall, a small first aid kit in hand. This surprised him even more.

Dodging sharp items, he came to stand beside the hero, and put down the little carry case by the handle. He snapped it open.

"It's not much, but it should be enough. Here."

Turning Spidey around, he exposed a particularly large cut on his back. He pulled a concerned expression, before dabbing it with an antiseptic cloth.

Spidey flinched.

"Sorry," he said. "This might sting a bit."

Spidey snorted at the attempt at humour.

"Yeah, no kidding. They really downplay the stinging effects of antiseptic."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Banged a nail through my hand once during a renovation project out in the middle of nowhere. Nurse over the phone recommended I get a local anaesthetic or get drunk, and that was just for dealing with the sanitation."

Spidey chuckled, before hissing, as a bandage was carefully placed over the wound.

"There, that should tide you over for now. The others aren't too bad. But it might need some stitches."

"Nah, don't worry. I heal fast. I promise. Besides, the cops are coming now." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the sound of sirens approaching in the distance. "So I'd better be going. Thanks for the help."

"It was my honour, Spidey. Now you take care of yourself."

"You too, sir." Spidey saluted, before running off and shooting two webs, catapulting himself up into the higher skyscrapers.

The man smiled behind him, before turning back and packing up his little kit—making sure to dispose of the used wipes.

As Spidey swung away, his mind spun with questions. It seemed those spider genes still had a few surprises up their sleeves. After all, it's not every day you discover you can "purr".

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 **Thanks for reading :) And if you have a moment, please leave a word or two of your thoughts in the comment box below. I'd really appreciate it!**

 **The rest of this series is gonna be written in collaboration with city-creek from Tumblr :)**

 **Also, for those who'd like to know, my tumblr username is aliciarosefantasy :D**


	2. The Warehouse

**Hey folks. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks for being patient, and sorry for the long wait. We wanted to do our best for you so, we hope you enjoy. Here's part 2! :)**

 **Written by city-creek. Edited by AliciaRoseFantasy.**

 **Made with love :)**

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The applause of rain pounded on the concrete roofs of New York City. The early summer air filled with a sweet and sticky combination of humidity and rising street fumes from far below. Through all the downpour, civilians taking shelter in their high-rise apartments could barely make out the iconic red and blue shape in the distance outside their windows, struggling to jump between the large gaps of buildings.

Spidey's day just wasn't getting any better.

It was on days like this that his concentration would falter in even the most necessary of situations. He was never one for water, or for swimming. He was never a born aquatic. But his aversion to the wet substance seemed to increase tenfold come that fateful day of the spider bite.

He had sensed it that morning—as he stuck his head out of his apartment complex window to check if the coast was clear, before heading out on patrol. It didn't take his instinctive sixth sense to know today would have some nasty downpours. But his dedication to protecting New York always proved stronger. And because of this, the city's favourite web-slinger would always be seen patrolling in rain, wind, sleet and snow, no matter the weather.

"Just great! Another sticky day in the city I suppose," Spidey mused under his breath, twisting and twirling with unmistakable grace above the city streets.

Some citizens cheered him on, and greeted him with awe as he swung past at breakneck speed. Some tried to shout at him to get off the streets. Unsurprisingly, most of those with the negative view of Spidey's regular patrols had a tendency to favour the _Daily Bugle_ as their morning newspaper of choice.

He'd learned to filter out those negative vibes, yet the words always stung him. And the subtle threats and insults seemed to set off his spider-sense on an almost minute level, as if the sting of pain from those hurtful words had come to affect him physically as well as emotionally.

But a stronger tug of his sense suddenly ripped his attention away from the comments of the public, and towards a seemingly deserted alleyway to his right.

Landing on a light pole, earning some jumps and stares from the people below, Spidey surveyed the scene. A popular street for tourists, muggings and thefts in this area were far from uncommon, but there was a negative aura coming off from inside that alley. Something was different, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

"Linda? Linda, where are you?" a voice called from below. Spidey's attention suddenly darted to a middle-aged man in his late thirties to forties with spectacle glasses, early greying hair and a roman nose, pushing against the natural flow of the crowd in an attempt to find his missing person.

"Hi. Hello there, sir! There somethin' I can help you with?" the webbed hero quipped from above the man's head. Said man startled and looked up, only to see the all too familiar and recognizable bug eyes of Spider-Man. The movement was followed by an exasperated exclamation of, "Oh, goodness, my heart!"

It took a moment for the man to compose himself, slightly intimidated by the anonymous and powerful figure looming above him—his head darting and tilting in short and curious bursts, in an almost insect-like manner.

"My apologies, Spider-Man. I've only seen you in videos and photos. I can't find my daughter, Linda. She's just sixteen years old. Would you be able to help me out?"

Spidey tilted his head and his bug eyes squinted towards the alleyway. Jumping down, he landed with a soft thud on all fours on the concrete in front of him. "I think that won't be a problem, sir," he said, nodding towards the man. He stood up. "When did you last see her?"

The man sighed in response.

"She was right there, behind me, not even five minutes ago. She never does this, never! Especially when we are visiting new places. Something just _doesn't_ feel right."

During the conversation, Spider-Man hadn't taken his eyes off the alley. The tug was getting stronger, more urgent. Something was telling him, _screaming_ at him to investigate, and _now._

"No. It doesn't," he said lowly, in almost a whisper.

Tucking himself back into a four-legged crouch, and turning to the worried man, he reassured him, "I'll be back, I promise you."

With amazed gasps from onlookers, he propelled his leg muscles, and in one bound cleared the busy street of cars, landing on the other side of the sidewalk and leaping again onto the wall to stealthily survey what was worrying him so much.

The alley was long, empty and abandoned, seemingly too dangerous for even the roughest of New York City's homeless. Syringes and old shattered glass bottles littered the floor. Spidey crept along the wall, leaping quietly and stealthily from side to side, attempting to gain a better vantage point to see and not be seen.

Turning a left corner, it was there he saw it. A rose gold iPhone, shattered on the ground—the pink, glittery cover offering little protection against whoever had damaged it. On the side, a little heart-shaped keyring hung. The faded name "Linda" could barely be made out on the dangling rubber material.

"Oh no," Spidey gasped softly, picking up the delicate device with both hands as if scooping up a baby animal, for fear of hurting it further. Looking out into the alley where the busy streets connected once again, the tug of urgency was fading, getting further and further away.

Behind him, he felt the soft vibrations of footsteps heading towards him—two people. But he did not turn around, for his spider-sense told him they were of no danger. Linda's father cried out at the sight of the unmistakable pink and golden phone in Spidey's hand, delicately taking the item from the web-slinger.

His weak knees buckled from beneath him, holding the keepsake to his chest.

"Who could have done this to my sweet Linda?" he sobbed.

Spidey couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. If he had only gotten here sooner...maybe he would have stopped her before this happened. As he held his head down in shame, another voice perked up.

"Do you think it was those traffickers, Spidey?" a bystander, who happened to have curiously followed after the commotion he and Linda's father had made, said. His voice was soft and foreboding, as if only for Spidey's ears, trying to keep the information and reality away from the grieving father.

"Traffickers?" Spidey questioned, head turning towards the bystander in a slight tilt.

The man nodded solemnly. "Yeah, it's been all over the papers lately. There's this crime gang in the city that the police have been trying to nab. They're preying on young unsuspecting women and teenagers; a lot of them are tourists from outside the city, so they can't be tracked as quickly and easily. I've heard they lure them in somehow, kidnap them and have found a way to export them to other countries."

"Oh my God," Spidey breathed, taken aback from this horrifying development. "Why didn't I know about this sooner?" He hung his head down, eyes closed and shaking in shame.

"Hey, _hey_ , Spidey. It wasn't your fault! There's nothing you can do now. It's okay." The bystander comforted, putting a hand of support on the web-slinger's shoulder.

It was then he felt that instinctive tug, almost invisible now. But it was trying to tell him something, almost as if it was trying to _guide_ him somewhere. He couldn't believe he was going to try this, but something in his gut told him he needed to trust his instincts.

"I think there is something I can do…" Spidey replied. The bystander jolted up in surprise at his comment. "You think you can look after Linda's father for a bit for me? Take him to a police station and alert them to what's happened."

"Of course I will, Webhead. But are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I have a hunch..." responded Spidey, shrugging his shoulders meekly. And without another word, he was bounding onto the rooftops and swinging in the direction of the call...

* * *

It was like a compass in his brain telling him where to go. He was comparing it to those nature documentaries he would watch as a kid, where they would track down the animals they tagged with a little satellite that would beep faster the closer they got.

The tug pulled on him, and Spider-Man found himself swerving right onto a new street. The feeling was getting stronger now, almost unbearable. It's when the more familiar spider-sense buzzed off below him, towards a black van, that he knew he'd found his destination.

His gut feeling told him to follow the vehicle to the other side of the city.

Switching from swinging to more stealthily following on the rooftops, he chased after the black van. And as night fell, it wasn't until another twenty minutes later that an out of breath Spidey saw the vehicle reach its destination: a run down and abandoned pier beside the water, near a warehouse, with a medium-sized black and white boat docked beside it.

"Here goes nothing," he exclaimed, before disconnecting from his webs, and with his signature backflip, diving towards the warehouse, landing softly on the roof with experienced precision. Using his enhanced vision and hearing, he peered effortlessly through a leaking hole in the roof down below him. The sight rocked him to his core.

Cages. Rows of nearly a dozen cages where what looked like a group of people from young teenagers to older adults were being kept. Beside each cage a pair of mercenaries guarded either side of the doors to prevent any escape or interference from anyone inside, or outside.

"How were they getting away with this for so long? There must be so many people down there!" whispered Spidey. It was when he zoomed in and focused, that he noticed many had the physical features of being homeless, or runaways.

 _People who wouldn't be immediately noticed if they went missing…._

That's when the realization hit. How dare they take advantage of these poor innocent people in disadvantaged situations. How _dare_ they torture and harm children, sending them to God knows where. It took him a minute to steady his breathing and control himself.

"This ends now," he gritted out, finally leaping through the hole in the roof, and landing on top of the middle cage with a clanging thud, muscles clenched.

Mercenaries and captives alike startled at the sound and turned back to see the iconic figure crouched above them, eyes squinted in a menacing and predatory glare.

"Isn't it rude to keep secrets from each other? How long have you been hiding **this** from me?" he hissed out, head lowering towards the henchmen in an unusually threatening manner. Teeth bared beneath his mask.

The normally fearless mercenaries sensed something different and enraged about the usually cool-headed demeanour of Spider-Man, taking a few steps back, guns drawn and quivering. It was clear they never really thought they'd be found; convinced they had left no traces or clues.

"How the hell did you find us? We left _nothing_ behind. You freak!" The head mercenary roared out.

"I trusted my gut," he responded coolly, and with a flying kick and a flurry of webs, disarmed the leader before he could even put his finger on the trigger.

Holding his finger down on the web shooter, his webs flew out in every direction towards the remaining mercenaries, latching on to their guns, before he pulled with his arms.

Spidey's strength ripped the offending weapons out of their grasp, the sheer impact of the guns smashing against the ground rendering them useless for any form of combat.

Spidey let every instinct inside of him run loose as he darted from side to side to avoid the kicks and punches of the thugs, weaving and twirling. His bug eyes glinted menacingly like a predator teasing its prey, silhouettes against the moonlight. Wrapping them all in one large cocoon, he dangled them helplessly in the air, suspended from the rooftop.

Feeling satisfied his enemies were apprehended, he turned towards the cages. The group of young tourists and civilians of New York huddled in fear at the dark and looming figure that had just saved them. It took them a moment to calm, but their muscles relaxed as he webbed the doors of each cage, and ripped them off their hinges, freeing them.

"You're safe now. Stay here while I contact the police, they'll have you all reunited with your families or support centres shortly, I promise you."

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Spidey. You're our hero!" a young teenager cried out, his arms holding onto a younger little girl he had bonded with during his time in captivity.

"It's no problem at all. Is anyone here called Linda, by the way?" Spider-Man called out to the group of people.

"Uh, no, we don't have a Linda here from what we know", was said. A chorus of muttering followed among the previously captured, for whoever was called Linda.

It was then the alarm of his spider-sense screamed in his head again, and he spun around towards the dock in the distance, to see the black van—the driver holding a pistol to the head of a young teenage girl, terrified and crying.

"Come near, and bad things are gonna happen," the brute seethed.

Using Spidey's utter shock and horror to his advantage, he grabbed the young girl effortlessly and carried her onto the boat, attempting to start the engine. Snapping out of his stupor, the web-slinger flung himself forward towards the dock in an effort to save Linda before the man took off into uncharted waters, never to be seen again.

As the thug turned the key, the engine roaring to life, Linda, using his distraction to her _own_ advantage, managed to swivel her head from his grip, and bite down on his wrist, _hard._ Her captor roared out in pain and grabbing his arm, released his grip on the girl. She stumbled to the other side of the boat in an attempt to get as far away from her attacker as possible.

Amongst all this chaos, Spidey jumped across the gap of the pier to the boat, landing and throwing a punch at the man— a direct blow to the head, instantly knocking him out. His head slumped forward against the accelerator.

Both Spider-Man and Linda were thrown back as the boat sped straight towards the rocks, scraping against the edge at breakneck speed and capsizing completely over beside the pier.

All three fell into the deep and murky depths…

* * *

He couldn't breathe. All he saw was darkness—water filling his mask and nose. He felt his muscles and bones freezing up from the shock, and the horrifying feeling of helplessly sinking to the bottom below. Why couldn't he move his arms or legs? Why couldn't he even try to struggle to the surface?

He closed his eyes in defeat. _Is this the end of me? How could I die from something so stupid? What about Linda? Is she okay? Oh no, Aunt May. I'm so, so sorry_ , he cried out in his mind, black spots filling his vision before beginning to fall into unconsciousness.

It was at the final moment before everything went black and he lost all feeling, that he felt a small arm tug him towards the surface, the moonlight above getting stronger and brighter. He could just see it! Breaking the surface tension of the water he gasped a sweet, sweet breath of air.

He coughed up murky water from his tired and abused lungs, pulling his waterlogged mask to his nose, before struggling to the rocky shore beside the warehouse, collapsing on his chest, and momentarily passing out.

* * *

He could see the blue and red flashes of the police sirens close by. Someone must have called about the commotion, or maybe one of the hostages he had saved rang them. He didn't know.

His sore muscles ached. He'd definitely have some bruises in the morning.

Painfully twisting his head to the right, his chin scraping against the smooth stones, he saw the figure of the unconscious thug, and Linda kneeling beside him, smiling, and closing her eyes in relief at having saved the webbed hero.

"I'm training to be an Olympic swimmer someday. Who knew it would be so helpful?" she giggled shyly, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"You saved my life, Linda…" nodded Spidey in appreciation, taken aback. Linda took in the reality of what she had done, tears welling in her eyes, but she never let them fall. Giving her his hand, she took it, hauling his soaking body onto two feet. He pulled his now drier mask down and, limping slightly, moved back towards the warehouse.

Police and the saved civilians alike clapped and cheered at their safe return as he hobbled into the shelter of the warehouse.

The chief of police was there to greet him, nodding his head in wholehearted appreciation.

"We should have told you what was happening sooner, Webs. If it wasn't for you, who knows where these people would be on a boat to by now. I promise that we'll let you know if any cases like this come up in future for you to help us with," he spoke, bowing his head in finality.

"Linda's father has been called, as well as the families of everybody else here. He will be here with us shortly," another officer added, before turning away again, to further tend to the rescued.

The creases of an honoured smile rose from underneath his mask, and Spidey once again pulled the fabric just above his nose to get some air other than the smell of dirty, New York water, thus exposing his giant grin for all to see.

He smiled towards Linda, and kneeled in front of the girl, who had sat down from exhaustion on the cold floor.

"You know, swimming was never my best event," the wall-crawler chuckled, teeth glinting in a genuine smile against the moonlight.

"Come here you big dope!" she giggled. It was then that our webbed hero was taken aback as Linda lunged forward, embracing him in a tight hug.

He closed his eyes against her thankful embrace, relaxing his sore muscles and hugging her tightly in return. She was safe now, so was everybody else, and that was all that mattered.

It was then he felt it, that familiar vibrating sound that he gave once before in a moment of genuine affection and embrace. The entire room stilled and focused in on him.

His skin prickled as he vibrated in a loud and resounding purr across the room. His eyes snapped open and he released from her hug awkwardly. Linda let out a wholesome laugh at the response.

"Dude, you _purr?_ " she exclaimed, with what Spidey could only describe as a "Cheshire grin". Oh boy, would he get teasing for this from the force in future: he'd never live it down.

"Uh...yeah, I...I guess? It doesn't happen often. I mean…I've been trying to avoid hugging people because I can't control it, and I—" Spidey stammered awkwardly, trailing off and standing up in an attempt to shake off the embarrassment. But everyone just smiled at him, rolling their eyes and one of the younger girls giggled, "That's our Spidey!"

"And here I thought it was just a rumour floating around since the flower shop incident," chortled the chief of police, starting back towards his car. "Somebody get a towel, and dry them off for goodness sakes!"

* * *

As Linda waited for her father to arrive, she sat beside her webbed hero, both watching the moon set against the horizon, and the pinks and reds of morning greeting them.

It was after that long night that he never again felt quite so afraid of people hugging or embracing him in thanks for his heroic actions. Spider-Man was New York's favourite and most quirky hero, and he knew those who supported him would love him no matter what unique spidery features he would have.

He lifted his head towards the rising sun and smiled.

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 **You can find us both on Tumblr, and feel free to PM me any time :) Thanks for reading!  
**


	3. The Coffee Shop

**Hello, AliciaRoseFantasy here. I hope you enjoy this little addition, and, if possible, that it cheers up your day :)**

* * *

Morning peak hour in Queens. Cars hooted, chaos reigned, and one red and blue spider sat perched on the low railing out the front of "Greg's Coffee 'n' Pastry Shop", eating a remarkably delicious beef and cheese masterpiece. Sticky tomato coated his gloveless fingers, and a red-booted foot gently swayed back and forth as he savoured his morsel.

He'd been up early for a couple of hours of patrol, and figured it was well and truly past time for breakfast. Greg, the proud owner of the small store, had managed to figure that out, the sneaky chef. He'd followed the web-slinger's daily patterns for weeks, marking them diligently in a small diary, and one day, right on time, a small, still steaming, wrapped bundle turned up on the railing. But it wasn't that which immediately caught the webbed hero's eye, oh no. It was the giant, bright sign with "Spidey" written on it in capital letters, an arrow at the bottom pointed towards the snack. Since then, it had become a daily collaboration.

Spidey hummed happily around the meal that to him was definitely more than a snack, and gazed back inside the building. The Italian man, wearing a large apron, hands dusted in flower, was running to and fro: taking orders, cooking meals, and occasionally trying to hold the phone between his cheek and shoulder while a young, smiling, teenage employee made frothing, morning coffees and lattés. Business was definitely booming, and there was no doubt as to why.

Smirking into his pastry, Spidey took another large bite, cheese smearing his cheek.

There was the pitter patter of fast running feet behind him, before a force unexpectedly crashed into his back, wrapping around his belly.

Spidey grunted, eyes widening in shock, before he looked behind him.

A small kid was clinging to his spandex-clad form like his life depended on it, a determined look on his face.

"Ahh...hey there, kiddo. What's up?"

The child remained still for several more seconds, before opening one eye. He stepped back with a disappointed "oh", shoulders drooping.

"I was trying to make you purr." He looked up with wide, vulnerable blue eyes. "Why didn't you purr?"

Spidey started, shifting back. "Well, uhh..."

"Damn, Joey, I told you he couldn't purr. That's just a stupid lie the papers made up."

"But you promised!"

"Yeah, yeah, but that was only if he purred, and he didn't. Too bad, you lose." The second, cap-wearing kid proceeded to place his last coin in the vending machine, and remove a can of drink.

"But...but..."

"Go home, Joey. You suck."

The little blue-eyed kid sulked, before turning back to face the large bug lenses still watching him.

"Sorry, Spidey. Guess you're not as cool as I thought." He began to walk away.

Spidey sputtered.

"Hey, I'm cool. Totally cool. Wait, maybe we can try again!" Spidey hopped off the railing and sprung after the kid, landing in front of him and rising to his feet. He placed his hands on his hips. "You're not gonna let those bullies beat you, are you?" He cocked his head on one side questioningly.

The boy looked down at his feet.

"No, but they always win and I'm left out. That's the way it is. I'm too weird for them."

The web-slinger crouched on his haunches, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"No one's so weird they should be left out. You being rejected's not normal—it's bullying. If the world was full of people like them it would be a very dull place. It needs variety. It needs people like you, Joey."

The little boy looked up, before turning his gaze to the side.

"But what if they're right and there really is something wrong with me? I'm no use to anyone then."

"Hey, where's this coming from? This can't be just about one group and a can of fruit juice."

Joey sighed and sniffed.

"No, it's everyone. No one wants me. I have no friends and even my parents call me a mistake."

"Kid! That's not true! You have something special to give the world. Sometimes the weirder you are the more significant that thing is. Look at me, do I exactly look normal?" Spidey asked, standing up and holding his hands out wide.

Blue eyes squinted. "No?"

"But do I let that get me down?"

The kid's eyes widened before he looked back at the ground guiltily.

"Every great person in history was at least a little weird." He placed a finger under the small chin and lifted it up. "And you're no different."

The small face split into a big grin.

"Thanks, Spidey!" he said, and reached up to give Spidey a big hug, the web-slinger crouching down to meet him.

A few seconds went by of Spidey being squeezed to death, before a soft vibration began to fill the air.

The boy's eyes widened.

"Ah! You do purr! I knew it!" he yelled, running around in a circle and fist pumping the air. He was grinning widely.

"You betcha," Spidey responded, and met him with a fist bump.

"So, do you still want that juice? I'm sure I have a spare coin lurking somewhere around in my boot..."

So as it was, child and hero walked side by side back into the busy store, talking wildly, as the sounds of the new day continued to serenade the streets of New York.

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 **Reviews welcome :)**


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